To honour the most representative instrument of his native Crete, Yannis Markopoulos composed his melodious 'Concerto-Rhapsody for Lyre' in which the exotic solo instrument and orchestra display an engaging, symbiotic relationship. His 'Triptych' awakens the listener's imagination with the contrasting sonorities of flute, harp and strings, while 'Shapes in Motion' establishes from primordial ideas a harmonious balance between solo piano and orchestra. The shorter works showcase his graceful musicality, love of ancient myths and concern for the environment.

"Yannis Markopoulos was born in Crete in 1939, studied in Athens, and remained in Greece until the coup of 1967, when he left for London to further enhance his studies with Elizabeth Luytens. He is a highly prolific composer and used traditional melodic (and thoroughly romantic) motifs common to the music of the eastern Mediterranean...Shapes in Motion is a piano concerto from 1999 that rollicks along with many of the lilting cadences of the previous Pyrrichios Dance No. 13...The dance elements in the Concerto-Rhapsody for Lyre and Symphony (1986) hark back to the middle ages...'Little Fantasy' (2005) is a gem...I can't think of anyone not liking this music. Markopoulos is a dyed-in-the-wool romantic from the island of Crete." - American Record Guide